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Barry Paschal’s column on Nov. 23 about the awful commercialization of Thanksgiving and all the holidays has been my sentiment always. I am grateful that someone like him who has a public voice has actually voiced these sentiments.

It is not that I am against business doing business, and they have every right to advertise to lure their customers into the dens of lose your mind and spend and spend. But where is the thought behind the big rush? What is the purpose?

Jim, my Vietnam War Veteran husband, and I spent Veteran’s Day weekend on a trip to Washington, D.C. with a busload of other Vietnam vets and their supporters as guests of the Vets To Washington Project. This project became the passion of Project Director Doug Hastings to help World War II veterans visit the war memorials. He set up the first trip in 2004 to fulfill a vet’s dream, and he continues the trips with the financial backing of donors and support personnel.

Remember the battle in Florida following the 2000 presidential election? Both parties spent millions of dollars to save our democracy and protect voters’ rights, they said. This year, in advance of the elections, both parties had lawyers poised in many of the states to again save our democracy and protect voters’ rights. In some cases lawsuits were filed in the name of voters’ rights in advance of election day.

Now that the 2012 elections are over and races have been decided, it is time to say thanks to a group of folks who made it all happen. This would be the Columbia County Board of Elections staff.

They have done an exemplary job in handling primaries, runoffs and then the general election, which included the highest office in the nation.

I would like to make a special tribute to Nancy Gay, our registration coordinator, who was thrown into the job of leading the elections office and managing the elections. She, along with all of the staff, are to be commended.

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, perhaps it could do us well to travel back to the year 1620.

America’s Christian forefathers, the Pilgrims, are preparing to set sail on their voyage to the so-called “New World.”

The Pilgrims dream of worshipping God in spirit and in truth, far from the Catholic-like Church of England and its oppressive partnership with the English Crown. ... The Pilgrims wish to live freely as English Christians.

I look in awesome wonder at the criticisms and character attacks heaped upon people who choose to offer themselves for public office. In most cases these attacks are born of absolute lies.

How many of us would wish the same thing on our family and ourselves? What causes people who will never put themselves into a political contest to be so critical of those who try? How many wish to be called a “Honey Boo Boo” and nincompoop, incapable and political bum, and have their family endure the pain of reading such comments?

Voters in Georgia’s 12th Congressional District are asked to send a “new, conservative voice to Congress.” What we really need is a voice in Congress – one that will represent us fairly and intelligently.

We’re given, as an option, electing Lee Anderson. Sadly, Anderson appears to have no voice. He does not speak at all anymore. A spokesman for his campaign does all the talking. Who will be moving his lips in Washington? Does this mean an unelected staffer will be speaking for him and for us?